Do you have too many credit cards with air miles attached and can't keep track of how many miles each one has and when the points expire?If you don't use them, you will lose your miles. Each airline has a different time limit. If American, Hawaiian, and United Airlines accounts have no activity for 18 months, miles will expire. Alaska requires some form of activity within 24 months, while Southwest specifically mentions fliers must earn points by flying within 24 months to remain active. Air Canada is less generous; Aeroplan accounts expire after 12 months of zero activity, and Avios (British Airways and Iberia) points expire after 36 months of no activity. Delta and JetBlue miles never expire—although they reserve the right to close an account if a member does not respond after repeated communication.

Here are some ideas to keep your miles from expiring:

Use a service to monitor them

Award Wallet will monitor your accounts for free and notify you when expiration is near. This is a great way to stay organized if you have multiple accounts.

Use a credit card that gives you double miles for all purchases and can be used to pay for flights. This is a great choice because the cards can be used on any airline or travel service. If you don't travel a lot, these are usually an exceptional deal. Capital One and Citi both have these cards.

Use each card on an anniversary. Use them on your birthday, anniversary, or many other things. This is much like changing the batteries in your fire detectors on the same date every year.

On Wednesday, Mark and I got up early and headed for Sister Bay and Al Johnson's restaurant. This is a Swedish restaurant complete with live goats grazing on the roof. This is a very popular spot, be prepared to wait an hour to get a table. You can see the goats almost anytime except on rainy days. The restaurant is open 6 AM to 8 PM. There is a gift shop attached with wonderful ware from Sweden.

After our stop, we headed for North Port and a ferry ride to Washington Island. You can take your car on the ferry or take the Cherry ride to see the entire island. They also rent bikes if you prefer more exercise. The ferry ride is 30 minutes and is very comfortable. There are a couple of restaurants on the island with great hamburgers and cherry pie. You can't leave Door County without having some cherry pie. Door County is known for its tart cherries. On the way to the ferry, we stopped at Seaquists. They treat you to a lot of samples and a wide choice of cherries.

From Washington Island we went to Cave Point County Park. This is a nice, off the main road get away. It has a lot of photo opportunities. I was glad we had time to hike as we had a long ride ahead of us. There were kids cliff diving and kayakers in the area. Door County is a great place for adventure, from hiking to adventure rafting, kayaking and biking. Visit DoorCountyKayakTours.com for information on Kayak Bluff Tours..

There is something for everyone in Door County. I recommend that you book your hotel well in advance in order to get a reservation as well as make reservations for all your sights including the trolley ride, dinner, and theater. However, if your kids are set on water park activities, skip Door County and head for the Wisconsin Dells.

Mark and I went to Door County, Wisconsin last week for a couple of days. We had a whirlwind trip, but saw a lot .

One of my favorite things was the scenic drive along the Door County Peninsula. The drive on the West side is along the water and is beautiful. Our first stop was at the Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay. Sturgeon Bay has one of the largest ship building centers in the US. We didn't tour the waterfront surrounding the ship yard, but there are 1000 foot freighters being built in the shipyard. The Museum shows the history of ship building in Wisconsin starting with the birch bark canoe, the history of Sea Dogs, an interactive ship simulator, and art gallery. There is a tour of the John Purvis Tugboat. http://www.dcmm.org/

Our next stop was the trolley station just north of Egg Harbor. We took a scenic 75 minute tour, and heard the history of Door County. You have other trolley options including Foodie, Wine Tour, and evening Ghost Tour. If you like the tales of sunken ships and haunted lighthouses, the ghost tour is the one for you. We stopped in Egg Harbor for an ice cream cone and visit to their marina. There is a small park right across the street from the ice cream store where we enjoyed our treats. It was a perfect place to explore before our trolley ride. Make sure you make reservations for your tour as they fill up fast. http://www.doorcountytrolley.com/

After the tour, we checked into the Homestead Suites in Fish Creek. It was centrally located in the town and very comfortable. The continental breakfast was very hearty. It was close to shopping, Founder's Square and many restaurants. I recommend staying in Fish Creek during your trip to Door County. It is in the center of the peninsula and has a lot to offer.http://visitfishcreek.com/

After check in we headed to Pelletier's for a fish boil. I was very impressed with the demonstration of cooking the food. We were seated in the backyard of the cafe, overlooking huge bluffs. Pelletiers has a fish boil every night on the half hour from 5 to 7:30. They serve white fish, potatoes, onions, coleslaw, a non alcoholic beverage, and cherry pie. There are other fish boils in Door County. Some restaurants only have them on certain days and have different types of seafood including crab and lobster. For more information check out Door County Visitor Bureau. http://www.doorcountyfishboil.com/

By the time we were done with dinner, there were not a lot of shops open. However, we found Lake People and Touch of the World Open. I loved both of these stores. There are a lot of stores to choose from, but please don't miss these two as they have a lot of unique items.

I wish we would have had time for Northern Sky Theater. I talked to several people that have seen performances and they raved about the musical comedies that are written by local writers. They rotate about 5 different shows. A couple of them are Lumberjacks in Love and Guys and Does. For tickets use: http://www.northernskytheater.com/calendar-event/lumberjacks-in-love/2016-08-20/. It is located at the Peninsula State Park Amphitheater. No state park stickers are needed for the shows.

We have lots more to talk about. See our next post for more information: http://www.petersontravelpros.comCall us to help you plan your next trip. 612-559-6545

The natural geography includes coastal regions with some of the best beachfront and shark watching in the world, as well as world-class safaris and awe-inspiring geologic formations.Culturally, the country is a most unique blend of African and Colonial cultures, which have seen some of the most engaging and inspiring political reformations of modern times. From the legacy of Nelson Mandela to the harmonies of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, South Africa is a haven of traveling cultural indulgences.1.Pay attention to your location.

If you see a big, loud, angry-sounding demonstration or mob, turn the other way and keep away, no matter how curious you may be.

2. Know where you are going - don't wander around. In many parts of the town (in both Cape Town and Johannesburg), the good and bad neighborhoods are often one block away from each other.

3. Don‘t be flashy.Keep jewelry and expensive cloths to a minimum. Don‘t flash cash when dealing with street vendors or frankly anytime. (For example) trade your big fancy camera and lenses for a point and shoot pocket model.

4.Mobile phone coverage is extensive, and easy to access.Phones can be hired, or a good 3G-enabled phone and SIM card can be bought at any airport. If you are social-media savvy, you can enhance your holiday experience with real-time updating of all your networks.

5. Don't rent a hot red convertible.Poverty is still a harsh reality in South Africa so get a normal car instead of inviting trouble by being flashy (as well as offensive). If you rent a car, try avoid driving after dark. In recent years, there's been a lot more highway robbery after sunset.Also, if you are going to self-drive, be aware that South Africans drive on the left-hand side of the road. Fuel stations (called garages) are not self-service. When you drive onto the forecourt an attendant will fill the vehicle. It is customary to tip the attendant about $1 for the service.Driving yourself is relatively safe, but you might want to brush up on the local laws and ways before getting behind the wheel.If you are planning to volunteer in South Africa make sure you are going with a reputable organization. A popular scam has popped up where travelers are approached to help at a needy orphanage, the problem is these kids are made to look extremely poor just to get big donations out of sappy travelers. If you want to volunteer go through an organization that has been doing this for years and has past travelers you can speak to.

6. Be open-minded.

Be fully prepared to venture off the usual beaten track and really get into all the nooks and crannies of South Africa, feel the rhythm of the people and ‘go local‘ whenever possible. You will find them to be warm and delighted to share their corner of Africa with you (as a general rule of course!)Almost everywhere you go you will be able to get by with English which is commonly spoken in all major towns and cities, hotels, banks, and government departments. Another major language is Afrikaans, a derivative of Dutch, which northern Europeans will find surprisingly easy to follow.Africa is of many cultures, languages and races. It is a diverse country so remain alert and understand the nuances of the lifestyles.

A lot of people ask me: Is it safe to travel to Europe?We had the bombings in Brussels, Paris, Istanbul, and Nice. Once again it is causing people to question whether or not they should travel. Americans were already concerned about traveling to Europe before the incidents in Nice and Turkey.But, think about the incidents in the US: 911, the Boston Marathon Bombings, Orlando nightclub, the Colorado Movie Theater Massacre, school shootings, and all the other incidents we've had in the US. No one is exempt from these crimes. Have you stopped sending your kids to school, or going to the movies, what about trips to New York or Orlando? The answer is probably no.

Think about all the people that die in car crashes every year in the US. According to Zeeshan ul Hassan, a data scientist for TechJuice.com you are 500 times more likely to die in a car accident than from terrorism. (3,000 people die every day in road accidents worldwide). Most of us are still driving cars. We opt to take the risk. We try to reduce our risk by driving carefully. But you can't control other drivers, and even the best drivers sometimes have accidents. Statistician ul Hassan also stats that we have roughly the same chance of becoming president (one in 10 million) as we have of being killed in a terrorist attack. The chances of becoming killed in a terrorist attack worldwide is one in 9.3 million.

The 2011 Report on Terrorism from the National Counter Terrorism Center stated that Americans are as likely to be crushed to death by their televisions or furniture as they are to be killed by terrorists.

The bottom line is that there is some risk in daily life. The risk of being the victim of a terrorist attack is a tiny one statistically, but the stories we hear about these incidents are deeply frightening. Remember, terrorism is about inspiring terror. Terrorist engage in these activities against innocent people because it is the most hard they can do. They don't have the means to carry out broader attacks.

So my answer is: If you go to Europe, something could happen, but it could happen in your back yard. We have a lot of tragedies, some of them terrorism and some natural disasters. No one can predict when there will be a hurricane, tsunami or terrorist attack. Everyone has their own comfort level with the thought of recent attacks. Have the terrorists succeeded in making you feel impending terror could happen at any time. Or are you going to follow the example of the French woman whose husband was taken in the Paris attacks by writing a letter to the perpetrators: “I will insult you with my happiness.” Everyone wants to travel, longs to see wonderful places that they have read about or seen in films. Travel is generally recognized as an enhancement of the quality of life.

Let's travel. Don't live in fear. Your odds of being killed in a terrorist attack are one in 9.3 million.

Delta has issued a travel waiver for customers affected by today’s flight delays and cancellations caused by a power outage in Atlanta that impacted Delta computer systems and operations worldwide. A ground stop of Delta flights has been lifted as of 8:40 a.m. local time, and limited departures have resumed.Delta is advising travelers to expect further delays and cancellations, and that there may be some lag time in the display of accurate flight status at delta.com, the Fly Delta App and from Delta representatives on the phone and in airport. Travelers who are flying August 8 and whose flights is canceled or significantly delayed are entitled to a refund under the new travel waiver. Customers whose flight is not cancelled may also make a one-time change to their ticket without fee. Tickets must be reissued on or before August 12, and rebooked travel must begin no later than August 12. When rescheduled travel occurs beyond August 12, 2016, the change fee will be waived, but a difference in fare may apply,Delta said. Final travel must be completed by end of ticket validity, one year from date of original issue. If travel is not able to be rescheduled within these guidelines, customers may cancel their reservation and apply any unused value of the ticket toward the purchase of a new ticket for a period of one year from the original ticket issuance. Applicable change fee and fare difference will apply for new travel dates. Final travel must be completed by end of ticket validity. Visit www.delta.com